Editorial | Court ruling on illegal structures at Hong Kong luxury homes sends warning
- Owners of high-end properties now know that although it appears a blind eye has been turned to such works, it does not mean they are legal
A much-needed crackdown on illegal structures in luxury developments has been under way in Hong Kong since a landslide during heavy rain in September last year exposed glaring breaches of the law.
The government has issued 72 removal orders to homeowners at Redhill Peninsula, on the coast in Tai Tam, where the landslide occurred. Action has also been taken against owners of properties at an estate near Kowloon Peak and another in Tai Po, where illegal structures were revealed in a Post investigation.
Removal orders and statutory notices have been issued. Prosecutions should follow if there is non-compliance.
Illegal structures have troubled Hong Kong for decades, but enforcement has often been slow and ineffective. A recent court ruling, while concerning specific circumstances, provided a telling snapshot of the problem and the way it has been handled for years.
Owners of 489 properties at Braemar Hill Mansions in North Point challenged government orders that they demolish their illegal structures.
Similar enclosed drying areas emerged soon after the estate was built in 1978, featuring in a quarter of flats there. Since then, the proportion of homes at the estate with such illegal structures has risen to an astonishing 95 per cent.
